fox 5 morning news at 7:00 starts right now. that's a pretty shot this morning. very pretty. maybe you're heading out of town or taking the train. it is thursday december 23rd, good morning and thank you for joining us. i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. everything is christmas now. it smells like christmas, it looks like christmas at union station. i love this time of year. >> i know you do. >> and it's nice out there temperature-wise. and tony perkins is joining us with a look at that. >> and in the spirit of christmas, tony, everybody will be bundled up today. >> it feels like christmas time. it's cold and in the 30s. that's not that unusual. temperatures will be below normal today. but it's the wind that will be the problem. it's going to cut through you so it will feel even colder than it actually is. in facts that happening this morning. let's look at the current conditions reported at reagan national where it is currently 32 degrees, 32 at reagan national. relative humidity 56%. winds out of the northwest at 16 miles per hour. now with those winds blowing

like that and then gusting later on today up to 45 miles per hour out to the west, there is a wind advisory in effect. the counties in brown that you see out to west, it does not include washington, d.c. but it will be blustery here but out to the west we expect gusts over 45 mile-per-hour at time. we've seen gusts up into the 30s so the wind advisory in effect until 6:00 p.m. generally speaking, your forecast for today, after morning clouds, sunshine, gusty winds, high of about 39 degrees. we'll have more details on the forecast coming up in a little bit. right now let's go to lauren demarco and find out what is happening on the roads. good morning, tony. we've received light volume on the roadways. we do have a few incidents going on southbound on bw parkway, the ramp to powder mill is blocked off because of a medical emergency. and 95 southbound in maryland past 175, brief debay from a wreck -- delay from a wreck on

the shoulder. 95 in virginia, we had a brief delay northbound at quantico because there was a truck off to the right side of the road, disabled there, but lanes are open. 395 looks good past duke street and across the 14th street bridge. and we have been dealing with other incidents. in maryland, route 1 between sunnyside drive and roado land avenue. water main break there. southbound getting by single file to the left. give yourself extra time there. and in northeast d.c., we had a wreck bringing down power lines at south dakota avenue at rhode island and think about eastern avenue as your alternate. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. and we have more now for commuters and holiday travelers as this comes straight from the gas grinch. and yes, there is one out there. prices at the pump on the rise. the national average for a gallon of regular has now

topped the $3 mark. during a time when prices typically drop. it's even higher in some parts of the area. in d.c. drivers are paying around $3.11 and lower in maryland sitting at $3.01. and in virginia prices are below the national average at about $2.91. s good has risen up to -- gas has risen 14 cents. it is riser than last year. >> now we are paying 76% more for gasoline than we paid two christmases ago. >> it is what it is. you have to travel, you have to buy things that you need, bottom line. i guess i'll go to the dollar menu on the road. >> things will get worse if prices bounce back up like in the spring, we could pay $3.25 to $3.50, which is the second highest level in history. for updates from the roads and

airports and weather conditions and closings or delays, you'll find it on myfoxdc.com. the links are on the home page. now to our top story. a d.c. firefighter fighting for his life after being shot several times overnight. audrey barns is outside of washington hospital center with the latest. what happened, audrey? >> reporter: good morning, steve. i'll step out of the way and let you see d.c. police have taken over. they are now the lead investigators working on this case. there are four police cruisers out side of the emergency room here at the washington hospital center. and a couple of officers are coming out right now. we'll try to get more information about this incident. there is not a whole lot released so far but we do know the firefighter was shot at an unknown location at about 12:30 this morning. he somehow managed to drive himself here to the emergency room and since he arrived here he's been in surgery. at one point they believed he was in critical condition. we told that now after surgery that d.c. firefighter has

stabilized somewhat. we're not getting a lot of information about the exact circumstances of what happened or how he was shot or what led up to this incident. but we do know that he has had surgery, he's here at the emergency room and we're trying to get more and we'll get back to you a little bit later on. steve, back to you. >> audrey, thanks. and from d.c. to greenbelt where police are looking for a shooter. a man was shot in a vehicle on greenbelt road around 6:00 last evening. investigators believe he was shot on edmundson court and driven to this location. police say the shooting does not appear to be random. christmas break just beginning but students at takoma educational center in northwest know they won't be going back there after the new year. a fire yesterday severely damaged the school. the principal and about nine other staff members got out safely. no students were inside the

building. they are already on break. cause is under investigation. the damage is estimated at $10 million. the students will be relocated when they return. that plan will be announced next week. another big story this morning, the lame duck session of congress comes to an end with activity and major legislative victories for president obama. even though it was just last month the president was badly hurt by the self-described shellacking the democrats took at the polls, the senate ushered in a spirit of cooperation. we have a report from capitol hill. >> reporter: the president is now off on his hawaiian vacation. both houses of congress have ended the 111th session. a lame duck session but it was hardly lame. both houses waddled their way into historic victories, passing pieces of legislation and handing the president some new vigor as we enter the new

year. a newly victorus president stepped off air force one in hawaii, basking in the glow of victory. he signed the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation into law yesterday amid fanfare and marching. lindsey graham of south carolina lamented -- lamented it was anything but that. >> harry reid has ate our lunch. this has been two weeks of dramatic proportions. >> reporter: among the work hammered out from both ends of pennsylvania avenue which many insiders thought impossible to pass only a few weeks ago. a ratification of the start treaty with russia which calls for a reduction in both sides' nuclear weapons. and a 9/11 health law for ailing first responders. >> he had an unbelievable december. i think he came back in a way that was quite stunning. i don't think it's a reversal of his decent, i think it was a

restoration of a guy who have been shellacked in november. >> reporter: what surprised many was the victories occurred with the republicans reflexing new-found muscle. >> if there is any lesson to draw from the last few weeks is that we are not doomed to endless gridlock. >> whether that spirit of cooperation holds up in the next congress is a different matter. republicans will be controlling the house and monitored very closely by a brand new political force in washington, the tea party which will monitor every move they make and every dollar they spend. in washington, doug mckelway, fox news. the biggest live fire military drills in korea ended with no retaliation from the north. they dropped bombs and tanks and fired artillery in the exercises this morning. the largest air and firing ground drills this morning. they were meant as a show of force after north korea's deadly shelling of a border

island one month ago. eight minutes past the hour. gray not naming a new school chancellor and why he's decided to wait. is the ipad worth the hype? this is sacrilege, what we are saying right now. one reporter is saying that he will pass. up next wall street journal columnist brett aaron tells us why he's anti-ipad this year. but first the latest on weather and traffic right after the break. and can you find the updates on myfoxdc.com and on our facebook and twitter pages. there is a look at traffic. and that's in town on the 14th street bridge. 9 minutes past the hour. ♪

[ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. ♪ keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. [ female announcer ] so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. ice breakers mints with icy-cool flavor crystals. ice breakers. stay cool.

7:12 right now as we take a

look at washington, d.c. looking over into virginia this morning. air force memorial and the camera still shaking a little bit. and we expect it will do so throughout the day today. it's winnie -- it's windy out there. >> but i to go back in time and say you know what fellow procrastinators out there at toys "r" us, good for you. i'm talking about courteous, polite and they have staff. i met a new friend named troy who watches the show. we're all out, the crazy parents because we have to supplement what santa does. and you can't disappoint because santa never does. and i love it. because that's the worst when you are out and rushing and people are like "get out of the way." >> they should be kurty us because they -- courteous because they need the money. >> i'm talking about the fellow

shoppers that were crashing carts. >> well there will be more going on today. and a lot of people want to be indoor shopping any way because of the cold temperatures and windy conditions from the live shot. i'll show you the temperatures across the region. we've gone up a degree. 33 here in the district. 33 in annapolis. culpeper 32; frederick, maryland, 32 degrees. and the wind is blowing and here is your windchill. it feels like 19 in gaithersburg. 17 in hagerstown. 25 in manassas, leonardtown 24 degrees. there is your sat-rad. we have some clouds over us this morning but our focus is on the low pressure system over california. that's been producing all of the rain. that has pushed eastward, that whole thing will move eastward. that will be our weekend storm. sunday into monday is what we are looking at right now. there will be snow in the south for christmas. we could see snow around here sunday and into monday. right now there is a 50% chance of that happening and if it

does, it will likely be accumulating snow. we'll keep you posted on that. forecast for today, sunny skies, gusty winds and high about 39 degrees. that's the weather. more coming up shortly. let's check in with lauren demarco and look at traffic. >> hi, guys. as we approach the holidays we're seeing lighter volume on the roadways but we do have a couple of incidents. south dakota avenue at rhode island is blocked because of an accident that brought down power lines. use eastern as an option there. and traveling route 1 at beltsville, stay to the left to get by single file because of work on a water main break. and in montgomery county things looking good northbound on 270, and a rec reported at 109 but on the shoulder. and looking good toward the split. the beltway is incident-free through college park and silver spring and bethesda.

no problems there in montgomery county. prince george's county beltway also running well, taking 295 in virginia -- or 395 as you head north across the 14th street bridge. everything is wide open. 95 is also running incident- free between fredericksberg and springfield. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. allison, over to you. technical problems crashed skype yesterday. millions of skype ooze user -- users lost connection. it may take features like group video calling longer to restore. so let's put it to the test right now, shall we, and talk more tech in the process. there is still a lot of buzz about the apple ipad but one reporter isn't sold yet. joining us by skype is wall street journalist rep brett aarons. and why he's not thinking ipad under his tree, at least this year. >> good morning, how are you? >> i'm well, thank you.

and i was teasing my coanchor and i said brett is going to get hate mail. this is sacrilege. what is your opinion? >> you're not allowed to criticize apple. this is an adult toy. sales are booming. they are selling million this is christmas here and abroad. and there is a lot to admire. apple is a technically a superb company and the rest of it, but listen, here are reasons why i wouldn't want an ipad. some are personal to me and some are more general. the obvious thing is listen, it will be cheaper next year and it will be better next year. we know they're coming out with a new ipad in the spring and there are rumors what about what it will look like. it will have new features and that mean this is year's model will get cheaper. and the original iphone that came out, i think the most popular model was $599 and a couple of months later they dropped the price by $200 and

now you can't find the first model, the first edition. so these things get cheaper and better and quite soon after christmas. also we'll have a lot of competitors come out in the new year. a lot of tabloids coming out with the android model. it's great for apple that they've got the ipad out this christmas and all of their competitors are way behind and won't come out until next year. that's great for apple. but if i'm a consumer, i would say why don't i wait until i have a wider choice. those are some of the particular reasons to do -- why i wouldn't want one this christmas. >> you say you have the wow factor under the tree, but you talk about the cost factor and the cost of those add-ons. what is the reality about giving this gift? >> well here is the deal, it is $499, that itself is twice as much as you'll pay for a net

book. i find it much more useful because it has a keyboard. but $499 is the cheapest model. and you'll regret it if you get the cheapest model. it doesn't have as much storage. people didn't like the cheapest iphone and stopped buying it. and then you go up the scale. and the cheapest model only has wi-fi and the i pads best feature is the internet connection and they want the 3 g version and now they're talking about $630 for the one with the smallest memory, plus a monthly subscription. it's going to be 800 or $900, a $1,000 over two years and it will cost more. you say it starts at $499 and people will spend more. >> and you talk about the games. and i was one of the last people to get one of those smart phones and your right about your assessment, but what is your knock on the games with

this gadget? >> one of the problems, it's not that they're not good enough, is that they are too good. the games are fantastic on those things. they are absolutely fantastic. they're addictive. they're kind of as addictive as cigarettes. i know someone that is a prominent figure in england who spent four days playing a role game -- a game, civilization game. and people have horror stories about people who got addicted to this computer game or that computer game. they are incredibly addictive and every time i meet someone with the ipad they are keen to tell me, i read the wall street journal, i read the new york times and the economist and these wonderful news applications and then when she show me, we have to go through three or four screens of games. the truth is people are buying angry bird or one of the

addictive games. they say i'm usually involved in serious activities, but how much of my time do i want to spend playing games. i had an ipod touch and got rid of it. the games are fantastic and too good. i don't carry cigarettes with me and i don't want to have to carry computer games with me either. >> and i wanted to get to your last tip. is there a place viewers can go to. because the last thing is apple is weirding me out a bit. >> the company itself is starting to act like it believes some of the cult stuff. my article is at wsj.com. i'm been following apple for years and i'm a great fan of the design and expertise. i much prefer them to pc's. and i'm talking to you on an apple laptop. i'm not being a grinch but these are the reasons i wouldn't want an ipad this christmas. >> we'll link that to our website at myfoxdc.com. brett is a columnist with the

wall street journal. happy holidays to you. >> happy holidays to you too. >> we have more information about hot gifts and sales, maybe ones you might get now that you are not getting the ipad and the latest consumer alerts on myfoxdc.com. click on the money tab. >> i can say that my ipad is great for my fantasy football team. and the university of virginia lacrosse murder case is coming up. and a state tradition is staying put in maryland. talking horse racing. details that keeps the preakness in baltimore. and two days out from christmas, and that means you are probably, if you haven't done so already, getting ready to wrap your presents. so we sent our resident gift wrapping expert paul rafael to learn how to wrap. paul will have no excuse with his friends and family this year. that's coming up after the break. 

a setback for the university of virginia lacrosse player accused of murder. a charlottesville judge ruled that lawyers for george haguely will have limited access to yeardley love's medical records. it is said she could have died by a heart problem due to prescription drugs an al-- and alcohol. the maryland racing commission approved an agreement allowing 146 racing days next year and keep the preakness stakes in baltimore. part of the $4 million from slots will be set aside to pay for race track improvements. president brohm -- president obama taking a vacation in hawaii after a lame duck session in congress. what is in store in january? we'll talk with capitol hill advisors coming up. and we'll have the weather and traffic after the break.

and can you find the weather and traffic updates on myfoxdc.com and our facebook and twitter pages. it's 7:26. we'll be right back. hi name is julio colon from germany. and i'm wishing happy holidays and merry christmas to my aunt, my cousin, and my friend missy. i love you guys, i miss you. wish you the best and i'll be home soon to see you. take care. 

christmas came early for hundreds of needy families in alexandria. the alexandria redevelopment and housing authority helped organize the event last night. santa claus on hand to distribute toys and other gifts. community volunteers and donors helped make this evening possible for more than 1300 families. that is an increase of 300 families over last year. >> a lot of smiles last night. that's good to see. 7:30 right now on this thursday morning. let's check in with tony for a look at forecast. it's windy out there. >> we are looking at the forecast today and into the weekend as wellch that's where it gets interesting. let's jump in. here are your weather headlines. temperatures in the 30s and 40s are gone. we got up to 45 degrees

yesterday which is our average high temperature for this time of year. so we hit the average high which is something we've not done lately. gusty winds today. there is a wind advisory out to the west until 6:00 p.m. because of the winds gusting up to 45. question, will we see a white house? it was looking like we would earlier this week and snow beginning on christmas eve and into compass day. not now. might be snow showers to our viewers to the south but that's about it. but there is that western storm now moving eastward. this could bring snow to the region on sunday into monday. first let's talk about the wind gusts. that's part of your story this morning. very strong, gusty winds blowing at up to 31 miles per hour in the district. 32 at dulles airport. 36 in winchester. elsewhere you have 20 mile-per- hour wind gusts and in leonardtown. so that's why the wind advisory is in effect later on today.

the closer to the mountains, winds could gust up to 45 miles per hour. our temperatures across the region are cold. we're now at 33 degrees here in washington. got to change that bug. 33rd degrees now. 32 in baltimore. 53 in fredericksberg. martinsberg is at 32 degrees at this hour. here is what we think about this weekend. we have two primary models. we'll call it model number one has the storm tracking farther out to the south and east and farther out into the ocean which means more snow would fall well south and east of the district, although portions -- eastern maryland would get that. the second model has the storm hugging the coast and that would bring us more snowfall along the i-95 corridor, so from washington up to baltimore more significant snowfall. this is sunday into monday if model two holds true. here is the problem. right now we don't know which model is holding true so we

have to keep refining the forecast closer to the date. five-day forecast, sunny today, tomorrow windy and 38. saturday we cloud up and could be snow showers to the south. right now 50% chance of snow on sunday and monday. that's a look at the weather. now let's get an update on traffic from lauren demarco. >> model one and model two, this is tricky business. >> it is. out there on the roads, seeing lighter volume. we do have a few delays southbound on the bw parkway, slow traffic around powder mill because of a medical emergency that had the ramp shut down. let's look at video that we got yesterday. pretty wild scene out there. in beltsville, thousands of gallons of water gushing because of a water main break. that has been cleared out but there are still crews at the scene trying to work on repairs. traveling southbound on --

route 1 getting by single file to the left. and edmundson road at sunnyside avenue a accident reported. in virginia, you can see the light volume. no major problems to report on the belt, whether headed from springfield toward the wilson bridge or on the inner loop up toward 66 you should find all of your lanes open and running incident free. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. a flurry of activity on capitol hill. more proof of the worth that the lame duck congress managed to achieve this month. the president signing into law the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. and the senate voting to ratify the start treaty and approve the 9/11 responders' health bill. earlier in the session they approved a compromise tax plan and extended unemployment benefits and passed a tax appropriation bill. and here to talk about what we can expect in the new year,

former representative connie morales and jim moody. thank you for being here. talk about decades of congressional experience between the two of you. so thanks for being here so close to the holidays. let's talk about the lame duck session of the holidays. maybe not so lame. it looks like a lot of work done. jim, let's start with you. what was your overall thought? >> i thought it was a spurt of activity and it's been years a lame duck could do anything near what they did in the last few days. >> do you judge this as an accomplishment. i know your opinion is different with republicans ready to take over the house and move forward in january? what -- >> the lame duck became like a phoenix rising from the ashes. it's kind of a reversal of parkinson's law that said it will fill the time allotted. this is a lot of work that filled a very short period of time. it showed they could do it and work together. so i see it as positive. >> let's talk about some of the specific issues that were addressed. one of the most recent ones and

getting a lot of attention, the "don't ask, don't tell" that the president signed. what is your feeling on this? is this something long overdo and most people can agree with, what is your take? >> i think people's attitudes have been changing in the 17 years that's been in effect. i think don't ask don't tell didn't make any sense, at least now we'll know that people can serve, they don't have to lie. if they have a passion about serving their country, they can do that without discrimination. i say it is a human rights issue and i think it's going to work. it will take a while but it will work. >> jim, what is your thought? >> i agree with connie. i think it was overdo. i can't understand why it started that way. but it was a transition and it could not have sustained indefinitely and in military you have to act straight and share with your colleagues how you are and to lie to hold your job to serve your country is

not good to continue. >> and when we talk about the star treaty, the defense bill that passed, some say this needed to be done to be a signature accomplishment during the session. do you agree with that? >> i do. i think the crucial part was getting the republicans to come along and they defied the leadership on this one. i thought it took courage for them to do that and i appreciate the tract that they looked -- i appreciate the fact that they looked at it as a different issue. i applaud the republicans that took their own leadership on this. >> connie? >> the people showed dissatisfaction in the last election because they felt they weren't being represented, that people were being polarized and lack of civility and not getting anything done. and this is an example. this is a way to cross party lines. and i agree with jim, there were gutsy people that were independent and that's what the

american people want. so i think it is a model and an example that i hope the 112th congress follows. >> and the health care bill when it comes to 9/11 responders started out much longer than what it ended up. talking 10 years, peared down to 5 years. what do you think there? >> that's your example of a compromise. it went to a shorter period of time. the money changed a bit. they thought it couldn't be done but when they worked together both parties accomplished something. i submit that's again another example of the way to get things done. >> exactly right. you know, the public is overlapping democrat and republicans, they are 85-90% overlapping on basic values in helping the people who took tremendous risk by applying themselves to 9/11 and the toxic material, they need to be helped. it shouldn't be a partisan issue at all. >> let's spring board off this

into 2011 and the new congress coming through. the republicans controlling the house and the tea party influence that will serve as another level of watch dog behavior on capitol hill. jim, can we use at compliments that we've seen over -- the accomplishments over the last couple of weeks and hope that continue with the new session? >> i think we can and we should. i think we should hold our representatives to the standards. not what are you doing for your party, what are you doing for your country? and if we apply that standard, that's what most people want to see. >> connie, what do you think when we have a republican controlled house and we still have democrats controlling the senate and the white house, how do you see this spirit of working together in the new year? >> i think it's the only way to get things done. and when they look at the configuration of democrats and republicans they have to work together. i'm doing work with the bipartisan policy center which is working with the leadership

to device the rules to make sure there is more bipartisan luncheons and briefings and that there is a a sem -- there is a semblance of work and the money-raising not taking place during the session. a lot of things like that would help. but i think it's an example of what the people do want and they have to work together. it's not going to be easy. they still have the dream act, they have the budget restrictions that they've talked about. we've had the erskin bowl and the rivlin plan and the tea party movement and i think people are concerned financially. so i think that will be the big issues. do you agree, jim? >> i do. but i would inject one more point. i think the country has come to the terms with the idea of a

handful of senators being able to stop everything. the so-called filibuster rule has been changed dramatically to make it almost a daily occurrence in the senate and i think as house members we don't see how you can function that way. and they can hold people without revealing who is holding them. the senate need it's be more open, transparent and frankly more like the house. but i can't say that. >> you can say that. >> i couldn't agree more. and there are attempts and legislation to do that but you need 67 votes to do that which is more than the 60 which means it is a difficult thing. but if the public want it badly enough, i think the members can respond. >> we'll have to wrap things up, but before we do, because both of you served for a long time in congress, what is that like when you have a change like this going forward? now is it the kind of thing where maybe it takes time to feel each other out and get a handle on what happens and things progress in a better way or is it better to just go in

with a spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation from the start? >> well i think your attitude is important. you know why you were elected, what you are supposed to do to serve your country, but i think the fact that you have to respect each other, got to learn to listen, to digest and to work out a compromise. you can have differences but working together is what the public want and it's the only way to accomplish something. >> i agree totally. i think that's what the public wants and what they deserve is that. come to the congress and it's a honor represent 600,000 people of diverse opinions. you need to take a more reasonable and pragmatic approach than sometimes we see. >> we have our finkers -- we have our fingers crossed for the new year. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> we have to take a break. fox 5 morning news will return after this. 

democrat mayor-elect vince gray named five new appointees to the city government, including two new members of the education team but he did not name a new school chancellor. kiah henderson is filling in temporarily. she is widely believed to have

the inside track for the permanent job. but gray points out city law requires him to set up a panel of teachers, parents and students to advise him on a choice for a new chancellor. and let's bring in tony for a look at the forecast today. yesterday was nice. >> we made it to 45 degrees. i have to admit, i think we forecast 41. so it was a little bit warmer. >> we won't complain about things like that. >> i know. and it felt good. and that's the average high for the date. so we finally reached our average high. i think maybe for the second time this month, maybe the third time, something like that. so today we're back down to mpe but check out yesterday. a fine day all across the region as far as temperatures go. you know what, i have to -- can we go to something because i have to push the button over there to set the map up. >> i'll do a little number for you. dah-dah-dah. >> there is the live shot. we do have low clouds over us

this morning and we'll see that through the morning but as the day progresses we'll see more sunshine and that's great. so now to yesterday's high temperatures. 45 degrees at reagan national. 44 at dulles. and 44 at bwi marshall. now take a look at the current temperatures around the region. and we are at 33 degrees here in the city. 34 in manassas. annapolis is at 33. frederick, maryland, 32 degrees. and fredericksberg is 35. factor in the winds, the windchills look like this -- i should say feel like this. feels like 22 outside right now in the nation's capital. the winds are blustery and they will be all day. a wind advisory to the west. 39 for the high today. i do think some of you will get to 40 or 41 today, particularly to the south. a chance of a couple of snow showers late on saturday. sunday and monday a better chance of snow. we don't know how much yet. we'll have to talk about that later, like on tuesday of next

week. no, just kidding. that's the latest. >> it's a better forecast afterwards. you look back and nail it every time. let's check in with lauren demarco and look at traffic. >> allison you just opened up all kind of possibilities of things i didn't know. >> with my song? and i'm ready. >> we do have a few things to talk about so i'm cool for right now. out there on the roads, southbound route 1 in beltsville, stay to the left near sunnyside drive. we have a water main break and repairs on it. everybody getting by that single file to the left and delays in the area. in northeast d.c., a look at some video shot earlier this morning. there we go. a live look at it. this is south dakota avenue at rhode island avenue. you can see the cones there on the bottom right of the screen. it is blocked off because of an accident that brought some power lines down. you want to think about eastern avenue as an alternate. elsewhere on the roads, as you travel the beltway, no problems to report in maryland or virginia. take a look at the american

legion bridge and the light holiday volume we're seeing this week. no major problems there. 395 looks good as you make the trip from the beltway to the 14th street bridge. and the cars heading toward you is your northbound traffic wide open at this time. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. allison and steve, over to you. >> thanks, lauren. once you get the christmas gift then you have to wrap them. >> paul is going to help us out with that this morning. good morning, sir? >> hey, steve and allison. would you believe some psychologists think the way you wrap a gift tells you about your personality? i am a lazy wrapper. but we're going to change that today. we're at the container store in northwest and i'm going to get a lesson on wrapping gifts and bow-making right after the break.

set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more.

[ female annpride. ] what will you gain when you lose?™ pizzazz. sass! [ laughter ] [ woman ] i'm feeling that! [ female announcer ] the special k challenge™ begins january 1st. free personalized plans at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose?™ ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world ♪ ♪ i will stop the world ♪ ♪ you've seen the difference ♪ ♪ and it's getting better all the time ♪ ♪ i will stop the world ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world and melt with you ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world ♪ ♪ i'll stop the world, i'll melt with you ♪

here is the deal, folks.

two days out from christmas. that means you are probably getting ready to wrap your presents if you have not done so already. the folks like allison, who just bought them last night, you better get on it. >> i've started wrapping them. because paul rafael, i know you are there, paul is our colleague here at fox 5. and paul, i'm kind of a lazy wrapper because i'm doing such a mass quantity of wrapping. so that's my category. >> i am a very lazy wrapper. this is my idea of wrapping presents. it looks kind of wrapped but it's just a box and you place the present in. >> but no, it's special. i like that box. >> that's how i wrap my presents. but aaron isn't going to have that with me today. she's from the container store to teach me how to wrap. let's get into it. our details are wrapping paper and the gift and then the key is the double sided tape. >> every professional wrappers' secret weapon. and a beautiful gift can make

up for the gift itself. so what we'll do is make this look seamless by bringing the wrap over to the far edge and make a crease across the front end. and the creasing makes it all look nice and crisp. so then we know how far that will go. this other side is going to come up and what we want to do is just take that and put some double sided tape on there already and again, please -- you're doing good. you're doing good. and then bring this side back. so the double sided tape will go right here and the idea is bringing this wrap right to the edge of the box. >> i've been putting the tape on top. >> and then you can see the tape. so having this here created a seamless package and you can't tell where is the top and the bottom. so again with the creasing on every corner. and the hardest part are the edges. and the trick is don't use too much wrap. so we'll fold in the edges, just like this, and make some

corners and then -- you're doing okay. that's all right. and then we'll crease the bottom here. just bring the bottom piece up. you're doing good. and then more double-sided tape. if all else fails, more tape. >> i'll try to keep up. you keep going. don't worry about me. >> and then we'll crease the corners and bring this down again. >> let's get to the bow. >> it's better than the pre- done ones. >> so a lot of people at the station were impressed i was going to learn this. >> exactly. so take about three yards worth of ribbon and it can be wired or not. and ours is mostly wrapped in a loop. just tighten it up by pulling the extra tail here. and we have this loop. and then we get scissors. so grab your scissors. have a pair of really sharp

scissors ab we'll just cut little corner notches off. don't go all the way to the middle, but just a corner and a corner. >> we have about 30 seconds. >> and we'll do that on both sides, bring it together in the middle and wrap it with a twist tie. this is what it will look like. look at that. it's magic. >> keep going. >> so once you have it wrapped in the middle with a twist tie, take it side to side and twist it and turn it and that will give you a nice fluffy bow and when you are done it will look like this. >> beautiful. that's the present and the bow. if you want to think outside of the box, if you will, for the next hour we'll learn creative gift packing and you said there is tutorial videos of this to learn how to properly do it on their website. we'll link it to our website at myfoxdc.com. guys, this is my bow and package. and that's in four minutes. >> you have a few hours left,

paul. >> and it's the thought that counts. >> we'll appreciate the gifts any way. and if that's the lazy wrap, do you ever run out of paper and take more from another piece? dad, if you're watching -- maybe you are having a big party at your house tonight or tomorrow. >> we are sharing recipes for healthy holiday hors d'ouvres. and how to tackle a cold -- sniff, sniff. we're all dealing with it. we'll disspell some cold- fighting myths and get everybody healthy for the holidays. 

the chill of peppermint. the rich dark chocolate. york peppermint patty. get the sensation.

back now at 8:00 and we have new information about an off-duty d.c. firefighter who was shot several times overnight. we'll check in with audrey barnes live at medstar this morning and we'll check in with her in a few minutes. and news about the pandas at the national zoo. the agreement set to expire at the end of the year but there is a new agreement with china

and we'll tell you about that. and many of you fighting a cold and we'll tell you about the best way to treat it so allison can come to work. we'll get advice from the fox medical team. i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. and i always say the only thing that knock it's out is rest. and that's one thing we don't get on this shift team. let's talk about the wind. winds gusting up to 30-35 miles per hour. and because of this, there is a wind advisory in effect. it's actually in effect out to our west. the counties that you see in brown, doesn't include washington, d.c., but it's windy here too. ute to the west winds -- out to the west winds could gust up to 45 miles per hour. and advisory in effect up until 6:00 p.m. 22 mile-per-hour wind gusts in

d.c. 30 in salisbury. annapolis 21. manassas wind gusts of 22 miles per hour during the last hour. current temperatures, cold start. we're up to 34 degrees now. 34 the new temperature in washington. 30 in gaithersburg. 33 in quantico. cambridge 32 and dulles at 33 degrees. your forecast for today, sunshine today and clouds this morning. but mostly sunny skies. gusty winds and high about 39 degrees. more details on the forecast coming up in just a little bit. >> tony, thanks. in the meantime let's check in with lauren demarco with a look at traffic. good morning. >> good morning. we do have a new accident to report in montgomery county. veirs mill road at park lawn drive watch for that. take a look at the beltway in prince george's county. very nice trip as you head in right now. that's the inner loop to the right of your screen, passing 210 and toward the wilson bridge. no problems reported. in fact a smooth trip all around the beltway at this hour. the only delay we're seeing on

any of the major roads is southbound bw but lanes now open. in virginia, 66, the trip inbound out of manassas, no problems there. also very smooth ride from route 50 past wafle mills road and from nutley street toward the beltway, to problems there. in northeast d.c., south dakota avenue shut down at rhode island because of a earlier wreck. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. more from the roads now. maryland state police investigating a terrible accident that killed attractsor trailer driver last -- killed a tractor-trailer driver. it is unclear what caused it to go off. but you can see the cab is destroyed. one lane had to be closed for several hours. it has since reopened this morning. we continue to follow a developing story out of the district. >> an off-duty firefighter who was shot several times overnight. audrey barnes is live outside of washington hospital center with the latest. audrey, good morning.

>> reporter: good morning, steve. i just got new information about the d.c. firefighter who, as you said, was shot early they are morning. we're now told that he is a 25- year-old. he's been with the fire department about 5 or 6 years and sources are telling us he's been on leave for several months now. apparently overnight, sometime around 12:30, this firefighter got involved in an incident and he was shot multiple times. he managed to drive himself here to the washington hospital center for treatment. he has been in surgery already this morning and is now stable. at one point we believed he was in critical condition. that's all we know so far. d.c. police have taken over the investigation. at one point there were five or six cruisers here outside of the entrance to the emergency room. several of the officers have fanned out into the community to try to information. but that's what we know so far. a 25-year-old firefighter who has been on leave from the department for several months was involved in an incident

overnight and shot multiple times and now being treated here at the washington hospital center. back to you. >> audrey barnes, thank you. meantime greenbelt, maryland, police hunt for a shooter. a man was found shot around 6:00 last night. investigators believe he was shot on edmundson court and driven to greenbelt road. no word on a suspect but police say the shooting does not appear to be a random act. the interim d.c. school chancellor said students from a takoma education center will be moved after the holiday, after this three-alarm fire caused damage to the school yesterday. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. kids are already on winter break so no students were at the school at the time. a handful of staff members were inside. damage set at $10 million. now to our other big story this morning. the lame duck session in congress. lake duck sessions usually not that productive but president barack obama is celebrating a

host of legislative successes. the senate finally reached a deal on the 9/11 first responders' bill after years of disagreement, it gives five years of health benefits to workers who rushed to ground zero. the senate also gave final approval to the start treaty, a nuclear arms reduction agreement with russia. >> with this treaty, our in spectors will also be back on the ground at russian nuclear bases. so we will be able to trust, but verify. >> the lame duck congress also approved a compromise tax cut plan, extended unemployment benefits, authorized a new defense bill and approved a spending bill to fund the government, the federal government through march. one of the biggest successes for president obama was getting congress to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." president obama is encouraging homosexuals dismissed to reenlist. yesterday the president signed the landmark bill ordering the pentagon to let gay men and women serve openly for the very first time. president obama arrived in

hawaii for a family vacation just three hours ago. time to rest now. the county executive in prince george's county has completed a review of the budget there. and he said things look good but there are still worries that could change in the future. matt acland has more on the possibility of furloughs, layoffs or cuts in school funding. >> we're in good shape. >> reporter: with only two weeks to go over the books, the new county executive said the budget is looking good for now. but the future might not be so bright and he's taking action now to address it. >> we clearly have to grow our income. and the way to do that is to grow businesses and jobs in the county. the other part about that, but you can't grow it unless you have an education system that is improving. >> reporter: rushern baker talked about funding the school system and he said the possibility is the state of maryland forcing counties to take over the teachers' pension program. something prince george's county would have a hard time paying for.

>> i just met with the governor but more importantly i met with our delegate in annapolis and we told them the county needs every dollar we can get from annapolis. switching the pension costs down to the county will hurt us greatly. >> reporter: and the county executive said he would look out for wasteful spending and ordered a review of all county take-home vehicles and credit cards used by county employees. he wants to trim the fat. >> we're looking at who has a car, should they have a car for their work responsibilities and we may or may not make adjustments. >> reporter: county officials wouldn't talk about past abuse of county cars or credit cards. but you might recall tisha thompson's recent investigation that exposed abuse in prince george's county. >> when we really started to look into it, what we discovered was not only were they taking cars only they weren't supposed to be taking home, they were selling real estate with those cars and they weren't even coming to work. >> one employee was fired

because of that investigation. another remains on administrative leave. >> reporter: getting back to the budget, the county executive said at this point he does not foresee any furloughs or layoffs. in the news room, matt acland, fox 5 news. eight minutes after the hour. it's a thursday morning and we're going to check in with the fox medical team for news many of you will want to hear. myself included. what is true and what is myth when it comes to fighting a cold. >> useful information there. and also ahead, the horses will come to pimlico. hopefully nor many years. we'll look at the agreement to save maryland horse racing. that's coming up after the break. , may i lp you?

yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home? yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

the preakness staying in baltimore after months of debate. the governor and state racing officials reached an agreement allowing racing for 146 days next year. up to $4 million from slot machines will be used to maintain maryland's race tracks. >> good news there for the racing folks. it's 8:12 right now and

let's check in with tony perkins and add a bonus to our bonus factor today. >> we had an early morning my first 5 photo as part of ask the weather guy. now it's the official one. today's edition of my first 5. it is the photo of the day. let's take a look. [ chuckling ] >> these two young men are willie and daniel. they are showing their mommy's christmas wish on their shirts. it said she wants a silent night. >> that's so cute. >> isn't that cute? >> yes. >> i completely understand that. they are adorable. >> you guys are adorable. >> mommy, we're not sure you get that silent night. we do hope you do for one night and we hope the kids get everything they want. >> that's double the love. that's what that is. >> merry christmas. very cute. if you want to send us your child's picture, go to

myfoxdc.com and click on mornings. you want to know the christmas day forecast, here is what we think it is. not so much in terms of the white house christmas. i think we're see some sunshine, particularly early in the day. then the clouds build in. highs only in the mid to upper 30s, about 36 to 38 degrees. and a chance of a few snow showers here and there, particularly in the afternoon and the evening. but no all-day snow or anything like that. temperatures around the region. we've gone up now. it's 34 degrees in the district. annapolis coming in at 33 degrees. culpeper 37. stevensville 32. frederick, maryland at 32 degrees. you factor in the winds, which are blowing strong out there and here is what it feels like to your skin. it feels like 24 degrees across the region with temperatures feeling like they are in the 20s because of the wind. your forecast for today, morning clouds and sunny later. gusty winds continue through

the night. and there is a wind advisory in effect out to the west until 6:00 p.m. that's a look at the weather. now there's another update on the traffic with lauren demarco. >> thank you, tony. we may find a delay southbound route 1 in beltsville. we have repairs on a water main. down to single file getting by, one lane to the left. so watch for delays there. elsewhere in maryland, things look good. no problems on 270 or the beltway. in the district, let's take a live look northeast. south dakota avenue shut down at rhode island avenue to the bottom right of your screen, you can see the cones set up. think of eastern avenue as an alternate. because of an earlier accident that brought down power lines. so it will take time to clear that up n. virginia, nice trip around town. we have light volume and no major problems to report on 95 or 395 inbound. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. allison, over to you.

>> lauren, thank you. this time of year, we find ourselves coughing and sneezing, sure signs of the common cold. and this morning we'll get to the truth of it. we'll bust some cold myths, if you will and look at what made health headlines in this year, 2010. fox news medical team contributor dr. sava narif joins us. >> good morning. >> i said the only thing that knocks out a cold is rest and rest but maybe you have a better process. tell us what is myth and and what is true about the common cold? >> when it comes to rest, rest is true. easier said than done. it's hard to take off work. but rest is the number one thing. there is some truth to chicken noodle soup. there is one study out there that found that chicken noodle soap, maybe it's the sodium content or the heat, it seems to have an anti-in flam for --

anti-inflammatory effect. but there are myths out there. >> and when you go out without a jacket your mom used to say, you're going to catch a cold. but that's not true. >> no. it does not. it can cause a temporary running nose from the cold air but you have to be exposed to the cold virus to get a cold. having said that, the cold and flu virus likes its cold temperatures that why we see more of it this time of year. but that cold temperature doesn't cause the cold for us. >> that's interesting. that distinction is interesting. and also is it better to not treat or cold or should you try to treat it with medication? >> you should try to treat the symptoms. it's interesting, people think i shouldn't treat the running nose, i should let the cold work through me and let my nose run and the coughing and sneezing and that is helping me. but your body will continue to fight off the cold. so if you take the antihistamines and cough medication and you will feel better and you'll help prevent the spread of the virus

further. so the idea of not treating a cold, that's a myth. >> and what about the natural remedies like zinc or vitamin c? do they help? >> a lot of people are looking for an answer. and if you are asking from the scientific standpoint, the studies do not back any of these remedies. there is one out this week on echinacea, a big study found it didn't help. and that's the bottom line on that. having said that, though, there is the placebo effect. and that's not to be taken for granted. if you feel that taking an echinacea or vitamin c tablet is helping, it's cheap and probably won't hurt, so why not. but the science doesn't back it. >> as we round out the year from your perspective in the medical field, what were the top health story this is year? >> well web md came out with a list because people are looking to the internet and looking for information and so it's interesting, the top three stories they found people wanted to know about this year,

bed bugs was number one, sleep came in at number two. we are a sleep-deprived nation. and whooping cough made a comeback with outbreaks across the country this year. >> doctor, we do appreciate it. merry christmas and happy new year to you. >> happy holidays. >> for the latest health headlines go to myfoxdc.com and click on the health tab under news. a scare last night outside of the home of president george w. bush. we'll have the details from texas next. plus panda news. the national zoo's most popular residents find out if they have to go back to china. and ready, set and rapid. it is a countdown that many of you are engaging in about now. our paul rafael gives us the dos and don'ts of how to get the gifts wrapped so they look great under the tree or wherever you are putting them to give to folk this is holiday season. we'll check in with paul coming up. it's 8:20 now. 

ice breakers mints with icy-cool flavor crystals. ice breakers. stay cool.

crime in the district is dunn but burglaries are on the rise. cathy lanier said burglaries are on the rise. the chief said the economy is playing a big role in the spike.

a stepped up police presence is part of the strategy here but there are also more officers working undercover. >> plane clothes, observation polls and doing stops on vehicles driving through neighborhoods, doing pedestrian stops, the folks walking and just engaging those folks to find out what they are doing in the neighborhood. >> chief durham said he is astounded by the number of people who still leave doors and windows unlocked. he said it is the first thing burglar check whenning -- when casing a house or apartment. and the secret service quickly detained a man near bush's home. he was visiting one of mr. bush's neighbors. the president and first lady were home but weren't hurt. they live in a gated community in north dallas. the home was not damaged. broadway's most expensive

show will go on. the producers of spider-man say the show will resume today. they had to cancel yesterday's sold-out performance after an actor you see here falling 30 feet during a scene. this happened on monday after the safety harness broke. so workers put in new safety harnesses. the stuntman was rushed to the hospital for back surgery. the loveable pandas at the national zoo are sticking around. china has granted an extension of the panda as. they are both in d.c. on a loan from china. right now the national zoo is trying to negotiate a new agreement for panda breeding and research. zoo officials expect it to be in place next month but the good news is they will not have to go back to china at the end of the month. it's 8:24 right now and a thursday morning and we have a day to go before santa brings his present delivery around the world, before he starts. >> and you probably want to know how to track santa and

find out where he is. we'll stick around because that happens to be the subject of today's smart phone zone. and that's coming up next. and we'll check in with gwen tolbert for the latest on our christmas forecast and when we might see some of the white stuff. 

[ music ] >> a little flash back with run dmc. you have to love it. it is christmas time. it is days before christmas right now. 8:28 on this thursday morning. sure doesn't look like it out there. it is a blue sky and pretty out there. >> it is. i kind of like that rhythm. >> get you jump started. >> we don't have colered greens in kansas. well it is chilly out there today. but it is windy. and we'll look at our temperature and tell you where we stand. it is on the nippy side.

bundle up heading out. 34 degrees at national airport. 32 at baltimore. 30 at gaithersburg. 33 degrees at dulles. and 33 degrees at winchester. now the winds are fairly strong as well and they are now gusting. take a look at this. anywhere from 16-36 mile-per- hour wind gusts. that's going to be the story of the day. it's going to effect the driving. you'll feel it on the roads. so do be careful and we do have a wind advisory in effect, especially to areas west of the d.c. region. gusts up to 45-50 miles per hour are possible. keeping our eye to the sky. we have clear conditions over our area now, but here is the system to the west that we're watching very closely. that is going to gradually move it's way toward the east and it's causing a lot of rain to the west right now. but that's the system that could develop into some snow for our area and that's what we're watching very closely. just a couple of scenarios. this particular model here shows that if the system stays a little bit more towards the south, we could see more snow to the east and to the south of

our region. and then if it hugs the coast a little bit closer, that could impact us a lot more. we would see heavier snow right along the i-95 corridor. right now, it's a big question mark. it's a little too far out to tell. as i said, these are two models not agreeing with each other so we'll watch it very closely and keep you updates to see how it all develops. in the mean time, for today, plenty of sunshine and 39 degrees. a windy day. wind advisory in effect. and for tomorrow, windy as well. just a few more clouds. saturday, christmas day, so far it looks like mainly cloudy. could we see some snow? that's a question mark. it doesn't look like it, but it doesn't mean we'll see anything. that whole system is causing questions. sunday and monday looks like it's a higher percentage of getting some of the snowfall but we'll have to watch it very, very closely. as long as santa arrives. >> that's right. >> clear for the big day. >> so he can get to my house. >> he will. you have to believe. >> i've been good.

smart phones on a lot of of people's wish lists. >> if you are waiting until the last minute to choose one, shelley palmer has your high- tech shopping guide. >> you can hear me now? you can hear me now? >> everybody wants a smart phone, but which one is right for the person on your list? android, blackberry, iphone? in some ways it comes down to, can you hear me now? [ music ] >> smart phones, there is an app for that and that's the big story this holiday season. but before you buy an app phone, you have to decide which telephone company is best four. people like to talk about the quality of verizon versus at&t or t-mobile versus sprint, but network coverage is not uniform across america. ask your friends and colleagues what they use and which ever carrier you use make sure they have good coverage where you spend most of your time let's

get to the phones. iphone is the most requested gift this year. i could give you a few good reasons not to get one but the iphone is in a class by itself. it's more than a phone, it's a fashion access ore. if someone on your list wants an iphone, just go buy it. nothing else will do. if you want flawless e-mail and texting, blackberries are still awesome. the blackberry still has the best physical keyboard and you can touch type with your thumb. which is practically impossible on a touchscreen. if you have someone on your list with a little geek in them just waiting to get out? consider some of the wonderful phones running googles' android operating system. android phones come in different shapes and sizes from different manufacturers on different carriers. you can get androids from sprint, verizon and at&t. the phones are popular with kids that want more features

and flexibility than you can get on an iphone. remember app phones are all about apps but the issue isn't quantity, it's quality. and there are plenty of high- quality apps for iphones and androids. shelley palmer, fox 5 news. >> shelley, thank you very much. great advice. and now once you get the phone, what do you do with it? >> load the apps. >> there are so many options. and you have to choose the right one. and to choose the apps, let's go to our smart phone zone. >> lauren, what do you have? >> i have a special message for you today from the smart phone zone. it was sent here just for you. so let's take a listen. >> merry christmas and happy holidays, fox 5. >> okay. that was sort of a sweet message from santa. but that santa in particular can be a live rough around the edges so that's all we're going to show you from him. and if you come across that app, a warning to our viewers, you want to check it out before seeing it around the little ones. a little bit of a bad santa.

however, christmas is just two days out as steve just said. you can believe it? and we do have a great update appropriate for kids of all ages. it's the santa tracker. you see santa track around delivering his gifts. he's been at work scouting around different neighborhoods. he will show you where he is any given time in relation to d.c. there is another feature that lets you write and send letters to santa and you instantly receive a response. i asked for a bike and he said a child like me, i deserve a superb gift. thank you, santa. now that particular app is free and available for droid. iphones and ipads have similar santa trackers, some with more expensive features but at the least they will cost you 99 cents to install. following christmas the big focus is on ringing in the new year. and in times square they are already counting down. but you don't have to head to

new york to celebrate. the time square official new year's eve ball app will stream live from times square when the ball drops. so you can watch right from your phone. and check this out, it will let you submit a picture for possible inclusion on one of the giant screens on time square. and you can send kisses and share photos with friends and family. we are looking at facts and trivia available on the app as well. that one also free. it's available for both android and iphone systems. we'll talk more about smart phone apps that will help you ring in the new year for next week, but for now i'll wish you happy holidays. and you can send if any apps that you think we should feature, just head to myfoxdc.com, look under the morning tab for the smart phone zone. and don't forget to check out the fox 5 d.c. app, news, traffic and weather all in the palm of your hands. back to you guys. >> thank you, lauren. holiday sales, will they be

good to retailers when it's all said and done? we'll have an update. and why one airline will not sell tickets on a popular online booking site any more. and georgetown university hospital is looking for a full time administrative assistant to work in neurosurgery and ophthalmology. to check out this job and many others go to myfoxdc.com and check out e top of the home pag 

heads up for those of you that use a popular internet travel company. american airlines has pulled it's flights off of orbitz.com. they wanted flight information to be gotten from them instead of another system. it is cheaper for orbitz but more expensive for american. so if you are booking, you might want to check separately to see how they compare. retail sales are considered to be up. >> so far consumer spending has been a pleasant surprise for many retailers. the national retail federation has recently upgraded it's forecast from 2.3% to 3.3%. >> scott krugman with the national retail federation said retailers have helped

themselves by offering discounts. the special deals have lured people in stores and shoppers are taking advantage. now once you get the christmas gift, you have to wrap it. >> it helps. instead of like you did last year. paul rafael helping us out this morning. fox 5 ribbon master himself. >> the ribbon master? i don't know if i can take that title. but last hour we learned how to wrap easy gifts but now we'll try to get the tougher gifts like this one and we'll find out some creative ways to package them after the break. 

this happened to me yesterday, i was out shopping and munching on everything bad. so if you are struggling from trying to get away from the junk food during the holiday season, it doesn't have to be a matter of all or nothing. >> it's a challenge this time of year. sarah simmons met with tanya mercer to show us dishes that will delight your family and guests without threatening the waistline. >> we're talking about holiday food that we all know around the holidays we tend to maybe pack on the pounds a little bit

whenever we are at a party. so today we want to talk about some of the healthy foods you can eat while at a party or what you could serve. so with us today is tanya mercer, she is a holistic health counselor and chef with nourishing you.com. thank you for coming in today. >> thank you. >> and this is amazing. and you look at how pretty it is and it's healthy for us. and it tastes good too. people think it won't taste well but you have really put something together that will tant illize the taste buds. >> exactly. >> what dove? >> this is smokes tar tar canopies. and it has to taste good. so toin fuse flavor in healthy food is you add things to lighten it with lemon juice or garlic salt because the garlic powder and salt bring out the taste of things. so i've done that here.

and there is greek yogurt with moss car pony cheese in that. >> and it's better than sour cream but you get the same taste. >> you get the creamy taste. and on top is the smoked salmon tar tar. and it's soup he low in fat and high in protein. and then if you want to decorate it you put in fresh dill and fresh cranberries and palm granite. >> and very good for you. >> and each one is only 20 calories. >> that's great. i can eat the whole plate then? >> right. >> which i would probably do. so we have here -- this looks scrumptious. you said you used feeler dough. >> it is a thin, like paper thin, like if you're going to unpeel this napkin, that's how you do it. and you take one sheet at a time and you spread it with a tiny bit of butter, just brush it on, and then you layer on another layer and it's about three or four layers.

so if it breaks, because people are intimidated by feeler dough. >> but is it lower in fat than a typical pie crust? >> much lower in fat because it's tiny little layers of dough. and it's pretty easy to work with because you layer it. it's not going to -- it won't break. >> and you put gorgonzola and apricots. >> and low fat ricotta cheese. >> you still get a little fat but there is only a little bit in there. >> i just literally sprinkled it on because you don't need to go overboard. >> and these look amazing and i'm thinking how could they not be fattening? >> they're not. everything that i've used to make them is on the plate. this is chocolate, dates to

sweeten it, unsweetened cocoa powder or macawa dameia nuts. it has a chocolate flavor without the butter. and this is the blonde. and this one i used coconut and mulberries and raisins and dates and brazil nuts. >> now that my mouth is full, let's move on. >> this one is a champagne sparkler and this is not bad because when you go to the parties you'll start drinking and then before you know it you are completely wasted after a few drinks. >> i think many people have been there. >> and this is a good way to level it off. you're only using half alcohol and the rest is juice. i'm going to pop this bottle of champagne. and if you want to start pouring the juice. that's blood orange juice. >> and i hear these are fabulous. >> so we do a third and a third. so half of the juice, and then another third of sam --

champagne and then however you want it, maybe you want more champagne. and this is light pomegranate juice and it's low in sugar. and then we're going to just squeeze the fresh palm granite in there. >> oh, my goodness. >> isn't that gorgeous? >> this is wonderful and you can find this at myfoxdc.com. we have a link to tanya's site on our site so you can get all of these recipes and plan your own party this holiday. cheers! >> do i have a problem if i say that drink looks good right now? >> no, not at all. well including today, just two shopping days left before christmas. the mall at prince george's is ready for the last-minute rush. santa is rights there, front and center, in center court, talking to kids about the wish list. the mall is open until 8:00 p.m. christmas eve, tomorrow. how about last-minute

shopping advice but you have to listen carefully because it's coming at warp speed. tysons corner center invited a professional fast talker. have you heard of that? >> i thought i was one. >> a professional talker to give to shoppers. here we go. >> barnes and noble. macy's talbot's. >> tyson's has create aid procrastination station and we've pulled retailers and asked them the hottest gift ideas, the last-minute giftoid yos where they -- gift ideas where they still have gifts. >> we have a couple of ideas and we'll see if we can find a few things. >> procrastinators don't know what we want to we go out looking. >> yes.

looking for dad. we didn't have time to buy before, so these are the last [ indiscernible ] >> happy shopping. hopefully you can find the perfect gift. she used the names of the stores and items and gifts and it gets into your head. because we're not all fast listeners. >> but i got a few. >> can't wait to see them tomorrow. >> but they're for me. the holiday season, you might be looking to give your gifts in a unique way. >> paul rafael at the container store learning about ways to pack your presents whether you are giving them to others or keeping them for yourself like my friend allison. >> are you giving yourself gifts, allison? >> when you shop, you see something and you just grab two and you keep one. >> and she wraps them for herself from santa. >> i picked out a gift for you but i might put it back on the shelf. sorry about that. but what we're talking about today is wrapping and giving gifts. and it's not easy to wrap a box like this.

we have my buddy robbie the robot over here, she would be a tough one to wrap. so we're doing creative packaging ideas. back with me is erin lander. so tell me about packing your gifts. >> sometimes something is an obvious shape that somebody will know what it is so in many cases the tote bag is your best wrapping friend. so for example, can you tell what this is? >> no. is it a box in there? >> not a box. it's a football. so you can use the bubble wrap around the oddly-shaped gift. >> steve, i'll bring this one back for you, the football. >> and then you have the people that love to shake the gifts and if somebody were to shake your robbie the robot, if it wasn't packed in tightly with shred or bubble wrap, it would be easy to tell there is a toy in there. so you can do a lot -- >> it might break. >> and you want to protect that. some real simple gift packaging

ideas, the wine bottle, stick it in a beautiful tote that is whimsical or beautiful for that hostess. and a gift within a gift. so coming up with a way to package your gift that will show what the gift is about but that the basketball is something they could use or the paint can is something else they could use throughout the year too. >> very nice. what do we have here? >> here we have -- the gift card. always a hard one to hide. because if you just give them the small envelope it's obvious it's a gift card. so we've taken the gift card and slide it down into the candy and you put the lid on it and a bow and you will never know there is a gift card in there so they are enjoying the candy and then they find out they can go shopping. >> and what is this one? >> the tried and true dad gift, ties, socks and t-shirts and it's hard to hide those. so here we have taken them and put them inside a cooking tin with bubble wrap and wrap up the tin and that can be used year after year to give gifts in the future. >> i like the trickery with the

candy and you think you're getting cookies and it's a big surprise. so we're going to have -- we have your website linked to ours on myfoxdc.com because you have more ideas on the container store.com. so we'll link you to that. and in the next hour we'll talk about last-minute gifts. i'm a procrastinator and i still have to get gifts and you have unique gifts so i want to see if steve and allison can guess this one. can you guess what this is used for? it's called the fuzzy fingers. >> paul, what is it used for? >> you can guess? >> no, no what is it? >> steve? >> i have no idea. >> it's to clean the keyboard of your laptop or computer. >> really cute. >> and they have micro fiber something or other. >> it's made of micro fiber so it will attract the dust. >> we'll try to pick out other cool gifts in the next hour. >> what a cute stocking

stuffer. that's cute. >> thanks, paul. 8:53 now on this thursday morning. we've been talking about the royal wedding for weeks now. >> the merchandise is starting to come out and that includes a commemorative coin from the royal mint. but it is being blasted because of how the royal couple look. we're going to show you it to you and talk about it coming up. >> you think royalty would look good in gold. >> you would. but first a holiday greeting. >> my name is senior air man juana hardy and i'm in southwest asia. i want to say a special hello to my favorite daughter dana joseph in suitland, maryland. i love you and hope to see you soon, baby.

want to say a good morning to our facebook fan of the day. today it is kasana dillon

mosby. good morning. she writes, i drive to d.c. from lorton every day and i can't do it without you guys. i love the fox 5 morning crew. we love you. congratulations on the being the fan of the day. if you would like to be tomorrow's facebook fan of the day, find us on facebook by searching fox 5 morning news, and no space between fox and the number 5 and post a comment under her photo. you don't see this in maryland. china making it easy to grab a crab on the go. these are vending machines popping up in subway stations offering harry crabs, which -- hairy crabs, which is a delicacy. each crab is cleaned and put in a con taper. they sell between $2 and $7 depending on the size. each machine sells about 200 live crabs every day. i don't know if i would like that here in maryland or not. time to turn things over to tony and allison to take us up until 10:00. allison, over to you. >> hally holidays, steve. we'll see you in the new year. big stories on fox 5 morning news.

a firefighter shot multiple times overnight. we'll have more details coming up in a live report from outside of the hospital where he is said to now be fighting for his life. and president obama putting a historic day behind him and is now in hawaii for christmas vacation. the lame duck session proved to be very successful but how will things be when the republicans take over the hus -- the house come january? we'll go to the hill for the latest. christmas is only two days away but there are a lot of presents to be wrapped. we have great tips on rapping from the container store and tell you how to avoid breaking the bank. >> that is coming up in a few moments. but first we want to check in with gwen tolbert in for tucker barnes for the weather forecast. >> i don't want anything wrapped, i want to see it. a chilly start today. winds as well. our temperatures, up to